Handrail column



J. G. BLUNT.

I HAND RAIL COLUMN. APPLICAVTION FILED MAY 23. 1922.

1,4283% PatentedSept. 12,1922

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Patented Sept. l2, 1922 i i-rant rarest @FFEQCEE...

rants e. BLUNCE, er scnsuncranr, NEW roan.

HANDRAIL COLUMN.

Application filed May 23, 1922. Serial No. 563,167.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that l, JAMES G. BLUNT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Handrail Columns, of which improvement the following is a specification.

My invention relates to columnsfor supporting hand rails, more particularly those of locomotive engines, which are usually formed of pipes, and its object is to provide a column which will be capable of removal without necessitating the removal of the hand rail, and which, further, will materially facilitate the removal of the hand rail whenever necessary or desirable.

The improvement claimed is hereinafter fully set forth.

Locomotive boilers are usually encased in a covering of heat insulating material, such as asbestos or magnesia, outside ofwliich is applied an encircling jacket of sheet metal. In order to secure the hand rail to the boiler. it is customary to insert a stud into the boiler shell, allowing it to project through the outer jacket sufficiently far to engage the internally threaded lower portion of the hand rail column. Ordinarily, the upper end of the hand rail column is in the form of an eye, through which the hand rail is passed. With hand rail columns of the ordinary design, and attached in the ordinary manner to the boiler, it becomes necessary to use columns of such varying heights as to bring the hand rail itself in essentially a straight line, since if, for any rea son, the lifting of the jacket should be necessary, the hand rail mustfirst be slid endwise out of its series of column supports, and

the supports themselves then removed. after which the lifting of the jacket is possible. As it is often necessary to raise aportion of the boiler jacket, as for example to repair a small leak, a hand rail column capable of easy removal, or a column so designed as to permit the quick removal of the entire hand rail, is particularly desirable, partly because the same length column could be used throughout, thus reducing the number'of parts, and partly because of the time and labor saved in not having to remove the handrail itself, or the saving afiected by its quicker removal. It is to such an easily removable hand rail column that my invention relates.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a side view, in elevation, of the upper portion of'a locomotive engine, illustrating an application of my invention; Fig. 2, a view, partly in elevation and partly in section, of the hand rail column, in position on the boiler; and, Fig. 3, a plan or top View of the same.

In the practice of my invention, referring descriptively to the specific embodiment thereof which is herein exemplified, I provide a stud, 1, which is adapted to be screwed into the structure upon which it is to be erected, (in this instance the shell, 2, of a locomotive boiler), said stud passing freely through a filler block, 3, interposed between the shell and the jacket, 4, of the boiler, in the space within which the lagging or nonconducting material, 5, is located.

The column proper comprises two sections, a body or stand, 6, and a cap, 6 through both of which the stud, 1 passes freely, and which are held together by a nut, 1 engaging a screw thread on the outer end portion of the stud, and bearing on the cap, 6. A segmentally curved jaw, 6 projects from the body, 6, of the column, which is similarly recessed from its top to the jaw so as to form a hand rail seat, and a similar jaw, 6", projects from the cap, 6, facing the jaw, 6 the cap being recessed similarly to the body. The cap abuts on the body, through a single point bearing, 6 on its face adjacent there to, a space, equal to the depth of the sin 1e point bearing, being thereby interposed between the cap and body. As shown in Fig. 2, the stand and cap are recessed sufficiently far to expose a portion of the stud for use as a bearing surface for a hand rail.

The hand rail, 7, which is of the ordinary tub ilar form, is fitted between the jaws, 6 and 6, of the body and cap, respectively, and is clamped in such position, bearing on the body, the cap, and the stud, by adjustment of the nut, 1, on the stud, the jaw, 6, being caused to grip the hand rail by its movement toward it, effected by the adjustment of the nut, the cap, 6, providing for such movement by its single point bearing, 6 on the body of the column.

The removal of the hand rail is accomplished, when desired, by releasing the nuts, 1, and removing the caps of the set of supporting columns, thereby permitting the hand rail to be lifted out of its seats in the bodies of the columns, and to be taken down in less time than would be required to slip it endwise through the entire set of columns as in ordinary practice. Any individual column may be removed by taking off the cap, turning the column at a right angle to its normal position, and springing the hand rail far enough to allow the base of the column to pass it. The jacket may then be raised until it comes in contact with the hand rail, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and access to the boilereshell will be readily afforded.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a hand rail or pipe supporting column, the combination of a stand, having a hand rail or pipe seat at its top; a cap, adapted to co-operate with said seat in embracing a hand rail or pi and means for connecting said stand an cap and securing them in position for service.

' '2. In a hand rail or pipe supporting column the combination of a stand, havmg a hand rail or pipe seat at its top; a cap, adapted to co-operate with said seat in embracing a hand rail or pipe; and means for clamping a hand hail or pipe between the stand and cap and securing the connected members in position for service.

3. In a hand rail or pipe supporting column, the combination of a stand, having a hand rail or pipe seat at its top; a cap, adapted to co-operate with said seat in embracing a hand rail or pipe, and abutting on the stand by a single point bearing; and

means for connecting the stand and cap, and

securing them in osition for service.

4. In a hand rail or pipe supporting column, the combination of a stand, having a hand rail or pipe seat at its top, and recessed therefrom towards its axial line; a similarly recessed cap, adapted to co-operate with said seat in bearing on a hand rail or pipe; a stud passing through the body and cap and projecting into the recessed portions thereof to provide a third bearing for a hand rail or ipe; and a nut, engaging the stud and hol ing the stand and capin connection when the stud is fixed in position for service.

5. The combination, with a boiler sheet, of a stand or body, having a segmentally curved lateral jaw, and recessed therefrom towards its axial line;-a cap, having a similarl curved jaw and similarly recessed; a stu passing through the body and cap and engaging the boiler sheet; a hand rail or pipe, fitting between the stand and cap, and having a three point bearing on said stand, cap, and stud, respectively; and a nut, engaging the stud and maintaining the stand, cap, and hand rail or pipe in position for service.

JAMES G. BLUNT. 

